THE UREWERA COUNTRY.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 11248, 11 April 1908, Page 7

THE UREWERA COUNTRY.

Among the business which will be brought up at the next meeting of Cabinet will be the formal proclamation of the opening of the Urewera country for prospecting. When this is done it should afford an opportunity for.^proving, the truth or otherwise of the many rumors which have been circulated for years about payable reefs existing there. Some of thes-e stories -are sensational, but the difficulty has been to see any stone known to have come from the Urewera country in 1 which there was visible gold. At the same time the fact that the Government has for 'yeans been importuned to throw open thfs land for prospecting leads to the impression that those who were moving m the matter had something more than casual rumor to go upon. At the meeting last week several men were m waiting to try and (ret. early m the country. Apparently, they were under the impression that the field would be cleared as soon as the Maoris liad given their consent. As a precautionary measure one man at least had secured a* miners' right from Paeroa, which of course was wasted money, as a new district will most probably* be declared. One miner, who was waiting, said he had beeh asked by the Maoris to prospect for them, and he stated that he had seen twelve years ago several large reefs which looked promising. Samples of stonp shown by various men were more of a jasper than true

quart/., while m another cvm 1 tin- stone was of a (ri'C'tMiish color. Xo doubt once the prospector get- to work something definite will be known, but as one old minor said : "The Maoris know enough about mining now to understand when they see a gold-bearing lode, even if it was sulphide ore." Still, with an area of 756,000 acres -of practically unexplored country, it is quite possible that .something important may bo unearthed m the future as the result, of the opening up of Tuhoeland to the vigorous prospectors.